jlxb
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- aitkin, mn
Hello all, I have two MEP 005a's in my shop. Having trouble with both! Perhaps the same issue with both - though their histories are a little different.
Generator 1 was in great shape when I got it 2 years ago. Changed fluids, filters and flushed the fuel system. with 1200 hours on it already, it took off and has run perfectly until recently. I have put on about 400 hours this winter. 3 weeks ago suddenly it stopped. I checked it over thoroughly. Could not find anything wrong. So I hit the start switch. It cranked fine but after a very few seconds, the dip stick flew out and hit the wall. With it came at least 2 quarts of oil on the floor. Pressurized oil pan......Crap!
Fearing the worst and hoping for the best I dumped a can of Seafoam into the oil pan and started it up. At first, I was detecting some pressure at the dipstick but the breather on top of the engine seamed fine with a very small amount of oil mist coming out. After one hour there was zero pressurization at the oil pan and zero oil mist at the breather so I changed the oil and filter. The oil that came out was BLACK and loaded with ash. At this point everything was fine.
Late last week, I noticed that the oil pressure would fall very very slowly as it ran. At start up it would go directly to 45-50 psi. after 2 hours or so it had fallen to barely 20. On a few rare occasions, it will shut off from low oil pressure. Now the trouble begins! It will not restart when it is hot. Zero oil pressure after several seconds of cranking. Not even if I pop it with ether. After many hours of cooling (50 degrees F) it will only start if I give a shot of ether. But then it starts right up and goes to 45psi OP. If it is up and running for a few minutes with good oil pressure (long enough to come up to operating temp) I shut it down - It will not re start until I let it cool down. In fact, it acts like it has no compression even though it ran beautifully just seconds earlier. On one occasion, I flushed all the hot oil out and replaced with cold (new) oil. It started right up but only with a hit of ether.
1) have gone through the fuel system beginning to end - everything OK
2) Never ever needed ether before
3) If the oil pump was clogged or broken, why would I get great oil pressure at start up with cold oil?
4) If the oil pump is not clogged or broken why am loosing oil pressure with hot oil?
5) This engine does not smoke, or burn oil. The level on the dipstick is checked every day.
6) When it is running it runs great. It does not over heat. No power loss or missing. It runs level and steady.
7) Other than the ash in the oil and a brief experience with pressurized oil pan, I have not seen any of the classic signs of blow by.
The starting issue (even cold) mystifies me. I have religion against the use of ether. My generators are indoors and never get wet or cold. The room is climate controlled - it never gets above 80 F.
What do you think? Rings?
Generator 2 has been a problem child. When you buy these things you hope for the best and usually get it. Not this one. The fuel injection pump was seized and was rebuilt for the modest sum of $850.00. Geeez those guys think highly of them selves.
Getting the pump reinstalled properly was quite a trick. Having never done it before, I made every mistake. The first three attempts resulted in massive amounts of red dyed fuel in the oil sump. I think I could probably do it now and not screw up but I don't want to seem over confident in front of you all.
This generator will start up perfectly (no ether) every time. But like generator 1 above it has an oil pressure problem. This gen runs for exactly one hour. At start it has 40-45 psi oil pressure. At 60 minutes it will have fallen very slowly to below 20psi and shut itself off. You can set your watch to it. When hot, it will not restart. When cold it is perfect.
1) This generator smokes and shows all indications of wet stacking - 260 hours on the meter. - I have not run it heavily loaded yet.
2) I have flushed all the fuel out of the oil pan and filter.
Same issue? Does anybody know if the oil pan and pump can be pulled from these generators with out removing the engine from the machine? Has anybody tried using an external oil cooler on these units? I see that there are ports that can be used for this - or just put it in line with the external oil filter.
Sorry for using so many words. I thought it better to cover the bases rather than minimize. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Generator 1 was in great shape when I got it 2 years ago. Changed fluids, filters and flushed the fuel system. with 1200 hours on it already, it took off and has run perfectly until recently. I have put on about 400 hours this winter. 3 weeks ago suddenly it stopped. I checked it over thoroughly. Could not find anything wrong. So I hit the start switch. It cranked fine but after a very few seconds, the dip stick flew out and hit the wall. With it came at least 2 quarts of oil on the floor. Pressurized oil pan......Crap!
Fearing the worst and hoping for the best I dumped a can of Seafoam into the oil pan and started it up. At first, I was detecting some pressure at the dipstick but the breather on top of the engine seamed fine with a very small amount of oil mist coming out. After one hour there was zero pressurization at the oil pan and zero oil mist at the breather so I changed the oil and filter. The oil that came out was BLACK and loaded with ash. At this point everything was fine.
Late last week, I noticed that the oil pressure would fall very very slowly as it ran. At start up it would go directly to 45-50 psi. after 2 hours or so it had fallen to barely 20. On a few rare occasions, it will shut off from low oil pressure. Now the trouble begins! It will not restart when it is hot. Zero oil pressure after several seconds of cranking. Not even if I pop it with ether. After many hours of cooling (50 degrees F) it will only start if I give a shot of ether. But then it starts right up and goes to 45psi OP. If it is up and running for a few minutes with good oil pressure (long enough to come up to operating temp) I shut it down - It will not re start until I let it cool down. In fact, it acts like it has no compression even though it ran beautifully just seconds earlier. On one occasion, I flushed all the hot oil out and replaced with cold (new) oil. It started right up but only with a hit of ether.
1) have gone through the fuel system beginning to end - everything OK
2) Never ever needed ether before
3) If the oil pump was clogged or broken, why would I get great oil pressure at start up with cold oil?
4) If the oil pump is not clogged or broken why am loosing oil pressure with hot oil?
5) This engine does not smoke, or burn oil. The level on the dipstick is checked every day.
6) When it is running it runs great. It does not over heat. No power loss or missing. It runs level and steady.
7) Other than the ash in the oil and a brief experience with pressurized oil pan, I have not seen any of the classic signs of blow by.
The starting issue (even cold) mystifies me. I have religion against the use of ether. My generators are indoors and never get wet or cold. The room is climate controlled - it never gets above 80 F.
What do you think? Rings?
Generator 2 has been a problem child. When you buy these things you hope for the best and usually get it. Not this one. The fuel injection pump was seized and was rebuilt for the modest sum of $850.00. Geeez those guys think highly of them selves.
Getting the pump reinstalled properly was quite a trick. Having never done it before, I made every mistake. The first three attempts resulted in massive amounts of red dyed fuel in the oil sump. I think I could probably do it now and not screw up but I don't want to seem over confident in front of you all.
This generator will start up perfectly (no ether) every time. But like generator 1 above it has an oil pressure problem. This gen runs for exactly one hour. At start it has 40-45 psi oil pressure. At 60 minutes it will have fallen very slowly to below 20psi and shut itself off. You can set your watch to it. When hot, it will not restart. When cold it is perfect.
1) This generator smokes and shows all indications of wet stacking - 260 hours on the meter. - I have not run it heavily loaded yet.
2) I have flushed all the fuel out of the oil pan and filter.
Same issue? Does anybody know if the oil pan and pump can be pulled from these generators with out removing the engine from the machine? Has anybody tried using an external oil cooler on these units? I see that there are ports that can be used for this - or just put it in line with the external oil filter.
Sorry for using so many words. I thought it better to cover the bases rather than minimize. Any help is greatly appreciated.